Tag: healthy eating
Fresh Corn Salad with Fresh Lemon Dressing
Before corn goes away… make this yummy salad.. so easy and so delicious!
- 4 ears of corn, taken off the cob
- 4 cups mixed greens
Transfer the corn and green onto a salad bowl. Keep aside.
Dressing
- 2 lemons, ends cut off, cut in half with the pits out
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Add all the ingredients into a blender (I used a vitamix) and blend till everything turns into a smooth sauce. Add more water or oil if needed. Check for seasonings.
Add half of the dressing to the corn and the greens, toss and add more if necessary. Serve immediately.
Fresh Nectarine and Corn Salad
Another yummy corn salad- this one is paired with one of my favorite fruits- nectarines… green onion, mint and basil take this side dish over the top!
- 4 to 5 corn on the cob, grilled till golden brown and take kernels off the cob
- 2 large or 3 medium nectarines, cut into 1-inch dice
- 4 to 5 green onions, trimmed, cut in half and grilled briefly (just to char the outside of the onions)
- ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ½ cup feta, crumbled
- Juice of one lemon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
Transfer the corn kernels, nectarines, green onions, mint, basil and feta to a salad bowl. Add the lemon juice, oil and salt. Toss and serve.
Halibut with Tomatoes & Olives
Another super healthy recipe! I made it with halibut as it is a nice, meaty fish but it can be substituted with another fish or shrimp or even scallops. It is simply marinated in smoked paprika- which gives anything super flavor without any calories. The fish is then browned briefly and cooked in a delicious mixture of tomatoes and olives. I served this with couscous with roasted butternut squash and cranberries. The meal was delicious…
- 2 to 3 halibut filets, 4 to 6 ounces each
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Sprinkle the fish filets with salt and smoked paprika.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup olives, sliced (any kind you like)
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Juice of half a lemon
Heat a non-stick frying pan with the olive oil. Brown the fish filets briefly on both sides on high heat. Take them out and keep aside. Add cherry tomatoes, garlic and olives to the same pan. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the cilantro and the fish. Cook the filets for another few minutes (depending on the thickness). Check for seasonings and serve.
Kale Super Smoothie
This is my favorite smoothie- perfect for Meatless Mondays…
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup baby kale
- 1 teaspoon natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed
- 1 scoop green powder or protein powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 banana
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 cup ice
Transfer all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Consume immediately!
Healthy Roasted Butternut Squash
This is my current favorite snack. I buy the already cut up butternut squash or sweet potatoes- I know that is quite lazy but I chose to look at the big picture… it enables me to eat healthy, delicious things. Anyway, I have been roasted a tray full every few days and eat some for either a meal or a snack. I roast the sweet squash with smoked paprika and dried jalapeño pepper. The spices give the dish a yummy smoky and spicy flavor. I highly recommend this one- low in calories and high in flavor… best of all, it is good for you. Make this part of your healthy eating repertoire…
- 2 pounds butternut squash, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried jalapeno pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the butternut squash on a lined cookie sheet. Add the olive oil, salt, smoked paprika and jalapeno pepper. Mix well and roast in oven for 45 to 55 minutes till soft and golden brown. Take out and serve.
Fennel Orange & Avocado Salad
I have been cooking with a lot of fennel recently. I was not a big fan of fennel until a few months ago. I am not sure what exactly happened but now I find myself buying a pack of fennel bulbs every time I am in Trader Joes.. and I am there very often.
I find myself eating it raw mainly in salads but it tastes delicious roasted with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. I used the roasted variety as a pizza topping or even on a salad- they were delicious.
This salad is a bit different as it does not have any lettuce greens. It has lots of sliced fennel, orange segments and creamy avocado. They all make an amazing combination- with the crunch fennel, juicy oranges and soft avocados.
I made a simple lime and orange dressing with a bit of roasted cumin seeds.
The salad was simply delicious… to make a meal of it, one can add some chicken, shrimp or chunks of delicious fish…
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Sole Filet with Balsamic Glaze and Tomatoes
If you are trying to incorporate more fish into your diet- this is a great dish to make. I usually buy my fish from a local store in our town. I love the freshness and variety they have. I sometimes buy the frozen variety from Trader Joes. It is cheaper and as long as I pick the wild caught kind, I am happy with my choice.
I bought a pack of frozen sole from there. I had never cooked with it before and thought it looked really good. My family prefers mild, white fish and this seemed to fit the bill.
I brought it home and decided to cook it in a very simple way. I wanted to make a balsamic glaze and pair it with tomatoes to top the fish. Balsamic glaze is super simple to make- all you have to do is cook down some balsamic vinegar with garlic, salt and pepper. The trick is to stay close to the stove while the vinegar is cooking down as it tends to get super thick almost instantly.
I paired the delicious fish with simple broccoli and roasted potatoes. To keep the carbs down, I had just a few of the potato pieces. Honestly, the fish was so yummy, I really didn’t miss the carbs…
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